steve
September 6th, 2004, 16:34
MTM Audi RS6 Club Sport
From the chaps who brought you the twin-engined TT, another mad Audi
Porsche Supercup car will lap Hockenheim's Club Circuit in 1min 5sec on slicks; a Porsche GT3 RS on road tyres stops the clock at 1min 12sec. Defying the laws of physics, MTM's Audi RS6 Club Sport won its class in this year's Sport Auto Tuner Grand Prix with a stunning 1min 12.45sec lap on street tyres.
In standard Avant form, Audi's potent 450bhp twin-turbo V8-powered RS6 seems perfect for someone who has to reconcile performance with business use and family obligations. In reality, however, the RS6 Avant is not as engaging a drive as it could be.
Acknowledged as the king of Audi tuners, former Audi development engineer Roland Mayer has his own ideas about how an RS6 should perform. Like Alpina, Brabus and Ruf, Motoren-Technik-Mayer (MTM) is recognised as a manufacturer by the German Transport Authority, so rather than stripping out an existing car, it was able to start from a bare shell.
A roll-cage was installed and the automatic gearbox replaced by a beefed- up Audi RS4 six-speed manual. Electric motors, seats and other luxury bits are heavy, so the air-conditioning, stereo, sat-nav and other gizmos were left out along with the rear seat. The heavy electric seats were replaced with Recaro racing buckets and five-point harnesses, and a three-spoke race steering wheel replaced the airbagged wheel. Kerb weight falls almost 300kg to 1580kg.
Meanwhile, MTM's engine department ramped up the twin-turbo V8 with its Stage 3 conversion. The cylinder heads were whipped off and ported, polished and given big
valves to make full use of modified turbochargers, high-lift cams and massive intercoolers. Further cooling comes from huge bonnet slats.
The resulting 580bhp at 6500rpm with 598lb ft of torque at 3200rpm provides supercar performance. The 0-62mph run is obliterated in just 3.7sec, but it is the 8.4sec blitz to 100mph that is truly spectacular. Top speed is 200mph on standard gearing.
The race clutch is not a big problem off the line, and even in light traffic its aggressive friction lining is not an issue. The combination of small primary turbine wheel and big scroll in each turbo results in civilised low-speed behaviour with massive top-end power. When you find a stretch of open road, the term 'lighting the afterburners' is no exaggeration. The lower weight of the Club Sport means less cushioning from the relentless wave of torque, so the lunge towards the horizon in each gear is uncommonly ferocious.
With no soundproofing to filter its baritone voice and the windows wide open to keep us cool, we get the full-on NASCAR-meets-Ingolstadt treatment. This car gets to you on a seriously emotional level; it gives a hardcore V8 turbo experience that makes you look for excuses to slow down just so you can speed up again.
Looking in vain for challenging bends to test the brakes and suspension, we had to settle for the slip-roads going on and off the local autobahn. Here the massive MTM 380mm slotted, vented front discs clamped by huge eight-pot callipers easily resisted our near- kamikaze approach, pushing us hard against the race harnesses.
Back on the throttle to balance the car in the turn, we nail the throttle all the way through the opening S-bend and discover astonishing levels of mechanical grip courtesy of quattro 4wd and 295/30 ZR19 Pirelli P Zero Rossos on lightweight forged 9.5 x 19in alloys.
The KW adjustable race suspension was originally set up for Hockenheim but MTM backed it right off for our road test. Firm yet compliant, it works just fine in relation to the full-on experience of explosive acceleration and eyeball-popping retardation. The lower weight and larger but lighter wheel/tyre combination have also had a magical effect on the feedback from the helm of the RS6, which now delivers the sort of messages missing from the standard car.
MTM is planning to sell complete Club Sport RS6s built to a less extreme lightweight formula than this compelling Tuner GP contender. In practical terms, this will be a good thing; a big estate with just two seats is perhaps a conversion too far...
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_32/car_portal_pic_16267.jpg?564
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_32/car_portal_pic_16265.jpg?592
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_32/car_portal_pic_16266.jpg?7831
greetz
:addict: :rs6kiss:
From the chaps who brought you the twin-engined TT, another mad Audi
Porsche Supercup car will lap Hockenheim's Club Circuit in 1min 5sec on slicks; a Porsche GT3 RS on road tyres stops the clock at 1min 12sec. Defying the laws of physics, MTM's Audi RS6 Club Sport won its class in this year's Sport Auto Tuner Grand Prix with a stunning 1min 12.45sec lap on street tyres.
In standard Avant form, Audi's potent 450bhp twin-turbo V8-powered RS6 seems perfect for someone who has to reconcile performance with business use and family obligations. In reality, however, the RS6 Avant is not as engaging a drive as it could be.
Acknowledged as the king of Audi tuners, former Audi development engineer Roland Mayer has his own ideas about how an RS6 should perform. Like Alpina, Brabus and Ruf, Motoren-Technik-Mayer (MTM) is recognised as a manufacturer by the German Transport Authority, so rather than stripping out an existing car, it was able to start from a bare shell.
A roll-cage was installed and the automatic gearbox replaced by a beefed- up Audi RS4 six-speed manual. Electric motors, seats and other luxury bits are heavy, so the air-conditioning, stereo, sat-nav and other gizmos were left out along with the rear seat. The heavy electric seats were replaced with Recaro racing buckets and five-point harnesses, and a three-spoke race steering wheel replaced the airbagged wheel. Kerb weight falls almost 300kg to 1580kg.
Meanwhile, MTM's engine department ramped up the twin-turbo V8 with its Stage 3 conversion. The cylinder heads were whipped off and ported, polished and given big
valves to make full use of modified turbochargers, high-lift cams and massive intercoolers. Further cooling comes from huge bonnet slats.
The resulting 580bhp at 6500rpm with 598lb ft of torque at 3200rpm provides supercar performance. The 0-62mph run is obliterated in just 3.7sec, but it is the 8.4sec blitz to 100mph that is truly spectacular. Top speed is 200mph on standard gearing.
The race clutch is not a big problem off the line, and even in light traffic its aggressive friction lining is not an issue. The combination of small primary turbine wheel and big scroll in each turbo results in civilised low-speed behaviour with massive top-end power. When you find a stretch of open road, the term 'lighting the afterburners' is no exaggeration. The lower weight of the Club Sport means less cushioning from the relentless wave of torque, so the lunge towards the horizon in each gear is uncommonly ferocious.
With no soundproofing to filter its baritone voice and the windows wide open to keep us cool, we get the full-on NASCAR-meets-Ingolstadt treatment. This car gets to you on a seriously emotional level; it gives a hardcore V8 turbo experience that makes you look for excuses to slow down just so you can speed up again.
Looking in vain for challenging bends to test the brakes and suspension, we had to settle for the slip-roads going on and off the local autobahn. Here the massive MTM 380mm slotted, vented front discs clamped by huge eight-pot callipers easily resisted our near- kamikaze approach, pushing us hard against the race harnesses.
Back on the throttle to balance the car in the turn, we nail the throttle all the way through the opening S-bend and discover astonishing levels of mechanical grip courtesy of quattro 4wd and 295/30 ZR19 Pirelli P Zero Rossos on lightweight forged 9.5 x 19in alloys.
The KW adjustable race suspension was originally set up for Hockenheim but MTM backed it right off for our road test. Firm yet compliant, it works just fine in relation to the full-on experience of explosive acceleration and eyeball-popping retardation. The lower weight and larger but lighter wheel/tyre combination have also had a magical effect on the feedback from the helm of the RS6, which now delivers the sort of messages missing from the standard car.
MTM is planning to sell complete Club Sport RS6s built to a less extreme lightweight formula than this compelling Tuner GP contender. In practical terms, this will be a good thing; a big estate with just two seats is perhaps a conversion too far...
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_32/car_portal_pic_16267.jpg?564
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_32/car_portal_pic_16265.jpg?592
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_32/car_portal_pic_16266.jpg?7831
greetz
:addict: :rs6kiss: